Veteran filmmaker Indra Kumar and producer Ashok Thakeria have landed in a legal controversy over the rights of their 2007 comedy Dhamaal. An FIR was registered at Mumbai’s Amboli Police Station on August 17 following a complaint by Vikas Baldevraj Sahni, owner of Mumbai-based distribution company Grand Master, alleging that he was cheated of Rs 1.50 crore in a disputed rights transaction.
According to the complaint, Grand Master entered into an agreement with Maruti International, associated with Thakeria, on October 15, 2019. The deal allegedly covered the worldwide distribution, digital rights and copyrights of Dhamaal, the Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi and Riteish Deshmukh starrer. Sahni has alleged that he was assured that the rights had not previously been sold to any third party.
The dispute reportedly surfaced after Sahni discovered that the lifetime OTT and digital rights of Dhamaal had already been sold to Shemaroo Entertainment in 2015, four years before the Grand Master agreement. According to the complaint, a Maruti International representative subsequently informed Sahni about the existing Shemaroo agreement in January 2020.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 318(4) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to cheating and acts carried out with common intention. Sahni has also reportedly submitted documentary material, including copyright-related records, as part of his complaint. The matter is now under police investigation, and the allegations have not been established in court.
Amid the controversy, Maruti International has issued a statement, indicating that discussions are already underway with the concerned party. “We are currently in discussions with the concerned party and the matter regarding the rights will be resolved mutually after further discussions,” the company said.
The controversy comes at an interesting time for the Dhamaal franchise, which has remained one of Bollywood’s better-known comedy brands since the original film’s release in 2007. With Dhamaal 4 also having recently hit theatres, the rights dispute surrounding the original film has now brought the franchise back into the headlines for reasons beyond its box office.
Disclaimer: This article is based on discussions and information shared across available sources, social media and publicly available news items. Interpretations remain those of the users involved. Readers are encouraged to exercise discretion before drawing conclusions.
